Sunday, November 16, 2014

Today's Teamster News 11.16.14

TradeWithout Freedom There Is No Free Trade (opinion) Huffington Post ...In 2003, Singapore signed a trade pact with the US… the results are in:...Income inequality in Singapore is higher than that in the US. While the city-state has the highest proportion of millionaires in the world, nearly 5 percent of its workforce have an annual income of less than US$5,000...As TPP Trade Talks Miss Third Deadline, Opponents Claim Momentum truthout ...though negotiators for the accord, known as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), say the process is nearing completion, critics of the deal are expressing optimism that both public opinion and political timing are increasingly against the deal...Report Funded by Big Business Explains to Small Businesses What's Best for Them Public Citizen Global Trade Watch ...small firms have endured the steepest downfall of exports to Korea under the FTA (free trade agreement). U.S. firms with fewer than 100 employees saw exports to Korea drop 12 percent while firms with more than 500 employees saw exports only decline by 1 percent.State BattlesWall Street Takes Over More Statehouses truthdig ...From Illinois to Massachusetts, voters effectively placed more than $100 billion worth of public pension investments under the control of executives-turned-politicians whose firms profit by managing state pension money...New taxes, higher fees proposed by state transportation department Wisconsin State Journal ...Drivers in Wisconsin would have to pay an additional $751 million in taxes and fees over the next two years if a new transportation budget request is approved...Report: Money woes mount for some Indiana workers Associated Press ...23 percent of the state’s households are just squeaking by and could slip into poverty with any crisis, including medical emergencies...How Political Donors Are Changing Statehouse News Reporting Governing ...A growing share of statehouse reporting in state capitols across the country comes from conservative groups, blurring the lines between journalism and advocacy...War on WorkersBack to 1917 – the wealth distribution in the US billy blog ...wealth inequality has considerably increased at the top over the last three decades. By our estimates, almost all of this increase is due to the rise of the share of wealth owned by the 0.1% richest families, from 7% in 1978 to 22% in 2012, a level comparable to that of the early twentieth century...How A Disgraced College Chain Trapped Its Students In Poverty BuzzFeed ...Corinthian Colleges lured students to its high-priced courses with the promise of an escape from poverty. But mired in tens of thousands of dollars of debt they will likely never be able to repay, many now feel more stuck than ever...Walmart workers plan Black Friday protests CNN Money ...A group of Walmart workers is planning to protest at stores on one of the busiest days of the holiday season asking for higher wages and fair schedules...More and more Americans are outside the labor force entirely. Who are they? Pew Research Center ...The share of 16- to 24-year-olds saying they didn’t want a job rose from an average 29.5% in 2000 to an average 39.4% over the first 10 months of this year...Brothers among 4 killed in chemical leak at Texas plant USA Today ...a valve failed on a container of methyl mercaptan, a chemical used to make insecticide, around 4 a.m. Saturday. Plant officials don't know why the valve failed...